


How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep?

by starkovs



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Fluff, Mentions of Anxiety, Over the Years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 07:08:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10657464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkovs/pseuds/starkovs
Summary: "It’s the first time that Farkle starts to question his scientific beliefs, because he swears there’s another Sun in the universe and right now, it’s in the middle of Greenwich Village, lying across his chest." Or a few glimpses at Farkle and Riley, and how sometimes the best way to get through things is simply just by being together.





	How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep?

**Author's Note:**

> I started this in October of last year, trying to write to deal with some of the events going on in my life. A lot of what transpires in this fic is very personal to me.

It starts in her room at 1 am on a Thursday morning. The moon is full and its hanging low across the NYC skyline. He climbs up her fire escape and gently tugs up her window, climbing through. He knows it’s unsafe for her to leave her window unlocked, so he makes sure to lock it, before approaching the edge of her bed.

She’s usually a heavy sleeper, so that’s why he’s so surprised when her eyes flutter open. She blinks multiple times, before finally stretching and letting out a long yawn. She’s clutching her blanket close to her chest and he’s suddenly aware of the draft in her room. 

She slowly murmurs, “What are you doing here, Farkle?” She shoots up. “Why are you crying?” 

He shakes off the question, instead simply saying, “I just want to sleep.”

“Okay, okay,” she says. She pulls her comforter up, and he slips in between her sheets. Immediately, she tugs him close, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head into his chest. Her fingers trace up his skin and her thumb wipes away a tear he didn’t even realize was there. She scrunches her nose and says, “You’re wearing jeans to bed.” He chuckles. He can see her eyes shimmering in the moonlight. 

He doesn’t know exactly when he falls asleep, but the next thing he knows, his eyes open and he’s overwhelmed by all the light leaking in the room. He glances down at the girl sleeping in his chest. Their legs tangled together throughout the night, which surprises Farkle, considering he’s wearing jeans and she hates the feel of denim when she’s sleeping. 

He can hear her parents begin to shuffle around. He knows he should leave, but he’s so distracted by the way the light moves through her hair and he can swear she’s glowing.

It’s the first time that Farkle starts to question his scientific beliefs, because he swears there’s another Sun in the universe and right now, it’s in the middle of Greenwich Village, lying across his chest.

*** 

He doesn’t go back until a week later. He’s in the middle of studying for his Sophomore Honors English test when he starts hearing his parents argue again. It travels down the hallway, until finally, they’re far enough away for him not to hear it anymore. He glances up at his ceiling and he can see Pluto winking at him. 

He throws his schoolwork into his backpack with an extra change of clothes. When he climbs through her window, she’s simply on her bed, reading. She smiles as soon as she sees him, patting the spot next to her on the bed.

He thinks home has never been a place, but instead, it’s the feeling he gets whenever he looks into her eyes.

***

His weekly visits turn into daily visits, up until he starts to feel like Riley’s room is also his. He has a spot tucked in the back of her closet for his own clothes. The right side of her bed, the side closest to the bay window, is established as his spot. 

Every day, he arrives earlier and earlier. The Matthews reserve him a spot at the dinner table on the bench with Maya and Riley. He thinks everyone is catching on to what’s going on with him, but no one asks about it. Even Riley, who he feels deserves an explanation most of all, doesn’t ask him.

The rest of the school year swings by in a blur, until the school bell rings in the last period on the last day and their sophomore year finally ends. Riley is buzzing with excitement as they leave the school that day, but his brain begins to worry. He’s spending a whole summer away from his friends, traveling to different science camps. What if they all forget about him? What if he comes back and none of them really care for him anymore?

Riley tugs on his arm and he’s back to reality. “C’mon Dr. Turtleneck,” she teases, “we have some work to do.”

Right, Riley wants to buy glow-in-the-dark stars to put on her ceiling in her room. She made a comment to him last week about how she wished she could see as many stars as they saw in Texas every night, when he suggested creating her own sky.

They purchase a few packs and head back to the Matthews’s apartment. Farkle is pulling out a map of the sky from his backpack, when Riley stops him.

“What are you doing?” she questions, her head cocked to the side. He lifts up the map. 

“I’m making sure we do this right,” he replies. She giggles and shakes her head. “What?” 

“Farkle, not everything has to be taken from a scientific angle.” He scrunches his eyebrows together. “We’re making our own universe. This is our place, Farkle, and what happens out there doesn’t affect what’s in here.” She pulls up a chair and holds up a star. “Now, how do you think the constellation Maya Penelope would look?”

When they lie in bed that night, Riley is examining the constellations above them. Meanwhile, he’s studying the galaxies in her eyes.

***

No one forgets about him.

He learns about Maya’s first art show and it hurts him not to be there, but Zay periscopes the whole thing just for Farkle’s pleasure. Smackle shoots him a text every now and then, mostly updates on how her summer camps are going. But he truly anticipates Riley’s lengthy letters he receives every Monday.

He starts counting the Mondays he has left until he’s home again.

9\. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

He comes back a week before the beginning of junior year and his parents announce they’re getting a divorce.

Good.

***

He shouldn’t be going back at this point. He’d been burdening Riley for almost two months. Their arrangement should end at this point. They don’t live together. His home feels nice again. There’s no more arguing.

Yet, when he crawls into bed that night, it feels wrong. 

He wonders if this is how people fall in love; they get close enough to leave fingerprints all over each other’s skin, until it starts to linger in every aspect of their lives. Riley’s not with him and yet everything is a constant reminder of what she is.

She welcomes him with open arms.

*** 

Their junior year kicks off and everyone cannot stop talking about what’s next. From the test next Friday in AP Chem to preparing for the ACT to college in itself, Farkle can’t avoid any of it. He spends hours in Topanga’s every day, trying to understand the concepts from all of his classes. It seems like there’s not enough room in his brain for all the information.

And then there’s Riley. Riley who every day seems to turn more into a question mark. Riley who knows exactly what spot to rub on his neck when he’s stressed. Riley who can rest her head perfectly on slope between his neck and shoulder. Previously, he thought of her as one of his best friends, but the more he sees of her, the more the label doesn’t seem to fit.

It’s all too much for him to think about.

***

He climbs through her window and she isn’t there.

Her schoolwork is splayed across her bed and there’s the small indent of her form in her mattress, but she’s nowhere to be seen. He listens carefully, noticing that the apartment seems unusually empty.

He crosses through the threshold of Riley’s room into the hallway. There’s still nothing but silence. As he enters the kitchen, he sees her stirring a cup of tea with a spoon thoughtfully. He slides onto the bench next to her and notices her eyes seem puffy.

He wraps an arm around her, tugging her close to his body. She lets out a long exhale and rests her head on his shoulder.

***

She’s a little bit more fidgety now at night. She’ll curl up, uncurl, flip onto her other side, roll onto her back, and repeat the cycle over and over again. Every minute he is about to fall asleep, the bed shifts, and he’s awake again.

It’s not necessarily bothersome to him. He knows that he’s capable of ignoring it and falling asleep, but every time she shifts, he can feel his heart grow with concern. Something’s wrong and she’s not speaking.

***

He doesn’t know exactly what’s going on until they sink a few months further into their junior year. It’s the middle of November and they’re quizzing each other for their AP Chem test tomorrow. Her hands are jittery. In fact, her whole body is shaking. She’s having difficulty understanding the material and Farkle’s trying to help her as best as he can, but it’s taking some time. He’s explaining ICE tables to her when he notices a tear fall down her cheek. He immediately leans forward, using his thumb to wipe it away.

“How am I supposed to do anything in life when I can’t pass an AP Chem test?” she murmurs, sniffling. 

“You don’t know that yet. We haven’t taken it,” he responds. “And even if you failed it, which you’re not going to, one bad grade on a test isn’t going to destroy your entire future.” She’s still not understanding.

“I’m not that smart, Farkle. You and Smackle are the most intelligent people I know. You guys are going to pass it, but it’s not the same for me. You’re going follow your dreams and go to an Ivy League school and I’ll be stuck in New York for the rest of my life.” He reaches out again, grabbing her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Your thoughts are just your thoughts. They’re not facts. Riley, you’re the brightest person I’ve ever met and you have an endless curiosity that’s barely manifested itself in another people. If anyone is going to make it out in the world, it’s going to be you.” She studies him for a second, weighing in his words.

Then, she pulls him into a hug, resting her head on the crook of his neck. It throws him off, but his muscle memory immediately pushes him to curl his arms around her form and gently rub her back.

They sit there for the rest of the night, just holding each other.

***

He’s in love with Riley Matthews. He’s sure of it.

He realizes it during a Matthews family dinner. She’s just breathing, twirling her spaghetti noodles with her fork. He glances over at her and it feels like all of the air has been sucked out of his chest. And there she is, looking as wonderful as ever. It’s like he’s seeing her for the first time all over again and she’s so clear to him. Her hair is glowing from the late autumn light leaking through the window. Her eyes look a little bit droopy, but it’s only because her sinuses have been acting up. 

Feeling his stare, her eyes flicker over to him. They give each other small, relaxed smiles and continue to eat.

***

He’s helping Topanga do the dishes one night when she blurts, “You’re in love with Riley, aren’t you?”

He nonchalantly answers, “Yup.” She only gives a curt nod in return and they’re back to the dishes.

***

He’s in the middle of trying to solve a problem from his Pre-Calculus homework when she kisses him. And all he can feel is the softness of her lips. Her hands rest along his jawline, coaxing him closer and closer.

She unlocks their lips and he tries to read her. All she gives is a soft, pleasant smile.

The sun is dipping down on the horizon and she’s glowing once again. He whispers quietly, “What was that for?”

She shrugs, “Nothing… Everything.”

And he kisses her again.


End file.
